JSOML 21

Chapter 21

“Lery?”

Whether it was because Lery’s cracked meow upon waking from sleep was cute, Theodore let out a soft chuckle and asked affectionately.

As it happened, the sunlight streaming in through the window settled upon his hair, making it seem as if a halo was shining behind him for a moment, but…….

“Were you dreaming about me?”

“…….”

At that cringe-inducing question, his beauty shattered into pieces.

“Haha. Luke woke you up, didn’t he?”

“Myamyang. (You tiresome bastard.)”

Theodore’s long, slender fingers gently stroked Lery’s head.

Lery answered curtly and silently endured his touch.

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he had now given up on him. He had tried to avoid the man who clung to him so persistently from early morning, but in this body, it was impossible.

‘Of all the butlers I’ve seen, he’s the strangest.’

Lery dropped his head low. He felt pity for his own situation, having to adapt to a butler like this.

‘If I were a real cat, I’d probably be really stressed out. Unless I was a dog-like cat. Doing nothing but following this guy around is so boring…….’

When he thought about it, these were things he could do precisely because he was human, not a cat.

Lery also imagined what it would have been like if he were truly a cat.

Perhaps he wouldn’t have been able to withstand his curiosity and boredom, and would have caused trouble?

Moreover, he might have spent his days full of wariness, stressed out by the unpleasant gazes of strangers.

‘But still, since they’d give me all kinds of cat food and treats in between, maybe it’d actually be better……?’

Just as he was lost in various imaginings, recalling a somewhat Eastern proverb about how a ghost who died well-fed looks radiant—

Knock, knock.

Suddenly, the sound of someone knocking on the office door was heard.

Theodore, who had been focusing on work again, took off his glasses and checked his wristwatch.

“Ah, it seems it’s already time.”

“……Pardon? Did you have an appointment?”

“Yes.”

“With whom……?”

“The person who misses me the most?”

Does such a person even exist?

Luke swallowed the words he couldn’t bring himself to say and opened the office door.

Behind the door stood Ian, dressed neatly in his uniform. Perhaps because of the sharply pressed uniform, his angular jawline stood out even more.

He gave a simple bow and then took a seat. With an expression that looked utterly full of discontent.

‘Why is his face like that again?’

Lery tilted his head and examined him.

His eyes, already slanted horizontally, gave him a cold impression, and with his brows furrowed, it felt as if the surroundings were freezing over.

But unlike the easily intimidated Luke, Lery wasn’t scared of him.

‘Look at that guy. He’s like a dog that was dragged here against his will when he didn’t want to go for a walk.’

He just looked like a Doberman.

“That’s a welcoming expression.”

Theodore didn’t seem particularly bothered by Ian’s expression either. Rather, as if enjoying the situation, he sat across from him and flashed a bright smile.

“……Hah.”

“Seeing you at this hour feels quite different.”

Everyone inwardly sighed at his shamelessness. No matter how hard one looked, it was impossible to find anyone in Sentineo as brazen as Theodore.

Once Ian was seated, a tea table was immediately laid out on the large table.

From crispy cookies topped with reddish cherry jam, to walnut pie emitting a golden, nutty aroma.

Theodore looked at the teacup being filled by the maid and shrugged.

“I specially had them prepare Earl Grey, since you like it.”

“Is that so.”

“Yes. So relax. With such a tight schedule, you need breaks like this too.”

“……Is there such a thing as a break this agonizing?”

“You’re happy? I know, I know.”

At Theodore’s astounding reading comprehension, Lery and Luke, who had been quietly listening, shook their heads simultaneously.

Ian, who had been about to retort, also closed his mouth and raised his teacup in agreement. He was thinking only of how to end this tea time quickly.

‘I want to eat too……. I want sweets too…….’

While Theodore and Ian were each saying their own piece like silent screams, Lery swallowed his saliva and climbed onto the table.

His worries about humanization from just moments ago, and the stress caused by Theodore—all of it vanished the moment the desserts appeared.

Lery alternated looking closely at the cherry cookies and walnut pie. The sweet scent tickled his nose even more up close than from afar.

They say sweet foods are fatal for cats…… It felt as if his soul had been stolen, to the point where he even forgot basic常识.

Moreover, the chocolate chips embedded here and there in the cherry cookies were utterly captivating. As if tempting him to take just one bite.

‘Should I just have one bite? It probably won’t be noticeable.’

In the end, Lery, overcome by the instinct of the dessert demon human ‘Joo Yena,’ leaned his face in.

But…….

“No, you can’t, be good, okay? I’ll give you different treats, Lery.”

Just then, Theodore, who had been watching Lery, hurriedly moved him away from the table.

“Myameong……! (I know how to eat too……!)”

Lery, who had instinctively raised his front paw to stop him, came to his senses belatedly and paused.

He had been so possessed by dessert that he had forgotten again that he was a cat.

‘Ha. That was close. I almost ate it.’

Right. Sweets and chocolate are fatal to cats.

Reluctantly distancing himself from the sweet cookies, Lery could only smack his lips from afar.

Fortunately, his craving for treats didn’t last long. It was because their conversation, which had been completely lacking in ping-pong, shifted to an interesting topic.

“You’ve been through a lot. So is the doctor currently at the mansion?”

After the attending maids had left, Theodore brought up the main topic in a rather serious voice. Only then did the reason for Ian’s visit, which everyone had been curious about, begin to be revealed.

And for good reason—there was no way Ian would leisurely visit Theodore during his busy training hours unless there was urgent business.

Ian, who had been responding with dead-fish eyes to Theodore’s nutritionless jokes, also nodded with a rather grave expression.

Clink.

After setting down his teacup, Ian answered.

“Yes.”

“After refusing so much, you finally agreed. His grief seemed quite deep.”

Theodore lowered his already deep voice and stroked his pointed chin.

“However, once I gave him a detailed description of the cat’s condition, he said he wanted to see it in person.”

“Is that so……. In any case, that’s a relief. Now we’ll finally be able to find out why Lery has been sick for so long.”

Even the reason for his dramatic recovery.

Theodore nodded and gently stroked Lery’s forehead with his finger.

Until now, no doctor had been able to identify Lery’s illness.

Even when they called in veterinarians reputed to be skilled in Sentineo, their answers were all the same. They made excuses like, ‘This is my first time examining a cat,’ and ‘Cats and dogs are different.’

And so, day after day, he had no choice but to watch over Lery with a burning, anxious heart.

—

*’I found one. He’s not from Rubio, but he’s a doctor who specializes in treating feline animals. If you’re fine with him even so…….’*

*’Contact him immediately. This is no time to be picky.’*

—

During those gloomy days, Ian had appeared with welcome news. Since Theodore couldn’t move personally due to too many eyes watching him, Ian had stepped in on his behalf.

Theodore hurried the matter along. Lery’s condition was worsening by the day, and they needed to see a doctor as soon as possible.

But things didn’t go smoothly.

*’It felt like the sky was falling.’*

Theodore’s mouth felt bitter at the memory of that day.

The doctor they had finally found was a wanderer—a citizen of a ‘fallen nation’ that had lost a war, drifting from place to place after losing his family.

Not only was his whereabouts unclear, but he was also someone who had never readily accepted anyone’s request.

Even more so if they were a citizen of Sentineo.

Theodore placed Lery on the sofa and leaned back.

“I hope that doctor has no other motives.”

“You need not worry about that.”

“Did you threaten him or something?”

“……Do I look like Your Highness?”

At Ian’s serious, hardened expression, Theodore couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“Can’t you take a joke? You’re too prickly. Of course, that’s part of your charm.”

“I don’t wish to know that much.”

“You’re shy.”

Theodore smiled playfully and gazed out the window.

Though he had said it half-jokingly and half-seriously, he couldn’t help but be concerned about the doctor.

It was suspicious that someone who had repeatedly refused countless requests suddenly decided to meet Lery, and while Ian’s contribution in the process was certainly significant, that alone wasn’t enough to put him at ease.

‘A doctor?’

Meanwhile, Lery, who had been listening to the conversation, looked up at Theodore with eyes like rock candy, wide open.

In fact, blinded by the ‘Humanization Reward,’ he hadn’t known the reason for going to Ian’s residence.

He hadn’t expected there to be such a significant reason behind it.

And of all things, it was to examine the condition of this body.

‘It’s unlikely, but…… what if they find out I’m human?’

Lery looked back and forth between Ian and Theodore with anxious eyes.

Just like Lery, they too were sharing their teacups in silence with rather serious faces.

‘Surely not.’

Lery swallowed dry saliva.

It felt like he absolutely must not let these two, who believed so wholeheartedly that he was a cat—especially Theodore—find out that he was human.

Of course, he hadn’t intended to deceive them…… but if he was found out…….

‘I won’t get kicked out, will I?! Especially since I seem to be a different race from the people here……. If that happens, where would I live? I don’t even know how to go back!’

Lery shook his tiny head vigorously, trying to shake off his anxiety and stray thoughts.

And he began to plan how to use the ‘Humanization Reward’ as efficiently as possible.